Best Funnel Cake Recipe - Mess for Less (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

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I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about summer is funnel cake! If you've ever been to an amusem*nt park or summer carnival, then you have probably had some warm, sugary funnel cake. But did you know you can make it at home? When you try this easy funnel cake recipeI bet you'll agree that it is just as good or better than anything you'd get at a carnival. If you are in a carnival mood, you should check out our Circus Popcorn Cupcakes and our Powdered Sugar Zeppoles.

Best Funnel Cake Recipe - Mess for Less (1)

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  • Why you'll love this Funnel Cake Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Funnel Cake
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Related posts

Why you'll love this Funnel Cake Recipe

  • You can make a carnival favorite at home
  • So many ways to personalize this - top with whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel...
  • Make it any time of the year!

Ingredients

  • milk
  • flour
  • baking powder
  • egg
  • powdered sugar
  • vegetable oil
  • salt
  • cinnamon

You will need acandy thermometerand aFunnelfor this recipe.

This funnel cake recipe makes 4 large funnel cakes.

How to Make Funnel Cake

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large skillet. While the oil is heating, beat the egg and milk together in one bowl and combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and powdered sugar in another bowl. Mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together and whisk until the batter is smooth.

When the temperature of the oil has reached 375 degrees, pour the batter mixture into a funnel, holding your finger over the small opening. We did a practice run to make sure the funnel cake mix was not too thick. We just removed a finger from the opening and poured the batter back into the bowl, making sure it poured out easily.

Hold the funnel with the batter over the hot oil and make a circle with your hand repeatedly to form the cake. Wenoticedwhen we added the batter it cooled the oil somewhat and we needed to turn the heat up on the oil.

Fry until the bottom has turned golden brown and turn over and fry the other side.

When both sides are golden brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

You'll want to serve these warm with some powdered sugar dusted on top. An easy way to add the powdered sugar is by using a small strainer and shaking it over the funnel cake.

How good does that look? At this point you can serve it as is, or go wild with toppings. Whipped cream, berries, chocolate syrup, ice cream - I've seen all these things on funnel cakes.

This fair funnel cake recipe was a huge hit with the kids. The powdered sugar made for quite a mess, but it was so worth it! If you love funnel cake but not gluten, try thisgluten free funnel cake.

📖 Recipe

Best Funnel Cake Recipe - Mess for Less (11)

Funnel Cake Recipe

Love the funnel cake you get at the carnival? This is just as good! Make it at home with the best funnel cake recipe ever!

4.13 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 cakes

Calories: 2062kcal

Author: Vicky

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of flour
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar for making the batter and more for dusting
  • 4 cups of vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

Instructions

  • Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large skillet.

  • While the oil is heating, beat the egg and milk together in one bowl and combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and powdered sugar in another bowl.

  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until the batter is smooth.

  • When the oil has reached 375 degrees, pour the batter into a funnel, holding your finger over the small opening.

  • Hold the funnel with the batter over the oil and make a circle with your hand repeatedly to form the cake.

  • Fry until the bottom has turned golden brown and turn over and fry the other side.

  • When both sides are golden brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

  • Use a small strainer to shake powdered sugar over the funnel cake.

Video

Notes

The nutritional info is showing a lot more fat and calories than are actually in the recipe because it uses 4 cups of oil for frying. Most of the oil is not absorbed.

Nutrition

Calories: 2062kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 221g | Saturated Fat: 179g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 2mg

Try this Recipe! Pin it for Later.Mention @vickycat or tag #messforless!

The nutritional info is showing a lot more fat and calories than are actually in the recipe because it uses 4 cups of oil for frying. Most of the oil is not absorbed.

This nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using online calculators. Your nutritional information may vary depending on numerous factors.

Frequently asked questions

Can I refrigerate funnel cake batter?

This batter is best used as soon as it is made. If you need to refrigerate it, I would try and use it within a day. I recommend freezing funnel cake batter and letting it thaw in the refrigerator before using.

Can you freeze funnel cake?

You can freeze funnel cake between sheets of wax paper. To reheat, let them thaw and then place in a 350 degree oven until it becomes crispy.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vicky

    Thank you so much Sue! This is super helpful especially coming from someone of your expertise. Will be trying your technique next time!

  2. Sue

    You cake stream is thin and thready looking. This happens, as in your picture of you holding the funnel 6-8 inches above the oil. Hold the end of the funnel 1 inch or less from the oil. The batter stream will blossom into a wide strand, providing a base for other stands to float on. It also makes a thicker strand so it does not fry into a hard string but has a crunchy exterior and soft inside.
    To keep the cake from getting too thick and not fry thru, pour a circle of batter around the edge of the pan, then zig zag thru the middle. Stop the stream fora couple seconds and the batter will float to the top of the oil. This gives the rest of the batter something to float upon. Then continue in a zig zag motion to fill in the holes. When you see the edges of the batter turning born, use a long tong and roll over to the other side. Fry until both sides look the same. Do not lift out of the oil completely, or the cake will break in pieces and splash you with oil.
    I base there comments on 29 years of making funnel cakes in out 7 concession trailers.

  3. Allison

    I'm featuring this on The Sunday Showcase this week!

  4. Mandy Beyeler

    Thanks for linking to Take-A-Look Tuesday over at Sugar Bee Crafts - you were featured today!
    --Mandy, http://www.SugarBeeCrafts.com

  5. Diana - FreeStyleMama

    What a fun treat!

  6. Kristina Manscill

    Oh my, thank you! Summer comes around and this is the one reason I like all the little festivals! Because I crave funnel cakes. Yum.

    Kristina @ Mothersniche.com

  7. Kristen

    My hubby loves funnel cake... I will be pinning this to make later. Thank you for sharing.

  8. April Tuell

    Love this! I'd like to invite you to link up to Saturday Spotlight @ Angels Homestead. The party is open from 12 am Saturday, until 12 midnight Wednesday.

    http://angelshomestead.com/saturday-spotlight-11/

    Hope to see you there 🙂

    April

  9. Gloria Erickson

    We are definitely going to try these!
    Gloria and Julia @ resourcefulgals.blogspot.com

  10. katef

    Oh my, they look sooooo delicious!!!

  11. Allison

    You are killing me! I LOVE funnel cakes, and the one way I justify eating them is that they are rare treats. They might become a regular around here...

  12. Rachel O.

    Oh my goodness - funnel cake!! I am obsessed with this delicious little treat. I seriously need to learn how to make them at home. They'd become a Sunday night tradition.

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Best Funnel Cake Recipe - Mess for Less (2024)

FAQs

How do you make a funnel cake less greasy? ›

It's important to keep to a frying temperature of around 375 degrees. Any higher than that, and your funnel cakes will brown before cooking through. At too low a temperature, the batter will absorb excess oil, resulting in a greasy, limp funnel cake.

Why won't my funnel cake stay together? ›

Timing, batter thickness, and funnel spout size are the keys to funnel cake success. If your batter is too thin or watery, you'll have an enormous mess that spreads and won't hold together. If your batter is too gloppy, you won't be able to pour it out in a timely enough fashion to avoid an overdone crunchy mess.

Why is my funnel cake not crispy? ›

375°F (191°C) is high enough to start coagulating the proteins and gelling the starches in the batter almost on contact, preventing the batter from literally frittering away. A lower temp wouldn't get the cooking going fast enough, and slower cooking would also result in a soggy, oil-logged funnel cake.

How many funnel cakes will 5 lbs make? ›

So a 5 lb bag would make about 30 funnel cakes." Hope this helps! :) Thank you for your feedback!

What is the best oil to use for funnel cakes? ›

What oil is best for funnel cake? I recommend using a neutral oil for in my funnel cake recipe. Vegetable, canola, or peanut oil all work great for this recipe and are my frying oils of choice for frying everything from apple fritters to fried pickles.

How unhealthy is a funnel cake? ›

But for someone looking to eat healthy, fairs can be a tricky situation. The classic funnel cake has 760 calories and 44 grams of fat— roughly the same amount as four servings of cheese pizza, according to food nutrition comparison sites.

Why is my funnel cake greasy? ›

A critical element often overlooked when making funnel cakes is the temperature of the frying oil. This can be the making or breaking point of homemade funnel cakes. If the oil is too cool, the cakes end up absorbing excess oil, resulting in a heavy, greasy outcome.

Should I put funnel cake in the fridge? ›

Funnel cakes are truly best eaten warm and freshly made. However, if you have some left store them in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat them on a baking sheet pan in the oven at 350° F for about five minutes.

Why does my funnel cake taste like flour? ›

There could be a few reasons why your baked goods taste strongly of flour. Firstly, it could be because you're not measuring your flour accurately. Too much flour can result in a dry and dense product, as well as a strong flour taste.

Why is my funnel cake sinking? ›

Check the temperature of the hot oil by using a candy thermometer. If the oil is too hot it will burn the funnel cake. If it is too cool, the batter will sink to the bottom of the pan.

How much should a funnel cake cost? ›

A funnel cake can sell on average from $3.00 – $5.00. Yet, it costs less than $1.00 to make, so you will yield as much as $4.00 profit on each cake. GM: What products do you sell at your concession stand?

Does funnel cake have a lot of sugar? ›

Funnel cake with sugar contains 314 calories per 90 g serving. This serving contains 15 g of fat, 6.9 g of protein and 39 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 14 g sugar and 0.9 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

Why is my cake greasy at the bottom? ›

This could be a gluten issue. Gluten provides structure, so, when a cake lacks it, it will have a tendency to collapse. Gluten also traps liquid, which might explain the greasy bottom.

Why did my cake come out greasy? ›

No baker wants to pull a greasy cake out of the oven. But as long as you follow your recipe correctly, you can usually avoid this common mishap. The problem: You added too much butter. The solution: Follow your recipe carefully and don't be tempted to add extra.

Are funnel cakes greasy? ›

If the oil isn't hot enough, the funnel cakes will absorb too much oil before they cook, and the funnel cakes will be heavy and greasy.

How do you reduce oil in a cake? ›

Replace half the oil with applesauce. Replace each whole egg with two egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute. Replace cream with equal parts of evaporated skim milk. Replace half the cream cheese with equal parts of reduced-fat cottage cheese or part-skim ricotta cheese.

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